From the Heart
by Shimegami-chan
Summary: One-shot. It's Ran's birthday, and Shinichi's still missing. When her friends urge her to move on with her life, can Conan convince her that Shinichi's still out there?


Disclaimer: There is only one truth

Disclaimer: There is only one truth. And it's the 'Meitantei Konan does not belong to me.'br  
  
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Shi-chan: Back from camp and still swingin'. However, I developed an unhealthy obsession with 'Detective Conan,' so expect some new fics from that genre. Ja ne!  
  
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From the Heart  
By Shimegami-chan  
  
  
  
  
Conan ran home in the pounding rain, his clothing soaked with water, his sneakers slapping noisily on the wet pavement. _Why _did it have to rain today of all days, on Ran's birthday? The girl had already been feeling under the weather lately--figuratively--and now Mother Nature had decided to take a crack at the teenager as well.   
  
Conan slowed to a brisk walk, his hands stuffed in his pockets. _Ran_. She had been acting odd lately, that was for sure. Her and Sonoko had argued again a few days previous, but Ran wouldn't tell her why. She had come home, kicked a hole in the kitchen wall, stomped into her room, slammed the door and cried for three hours. Conan's attempts to cheer her up had resulted in a few dents in the door, but eventually Ran had succumbed to hunger and guilt--Kogoro's 'cooking' attempts had practically destroyed the kitchen. Conan had fixed himself instant ramen before staking out Ran's bedroom door.   
  


_The door creaked under Conan's light weight, stirring him into consciousness.   
  
_

_"Conan-kun?"  
  
_

_"Hai." Conan adjusted his oversized glasses and blinked sleepily up at Ran. "Ano...are you...feeling better now?"  
  
_

The girl's features softened. "It's late, you should be in bed! What on Earth are you doing out here?"  
  


_Conan blushed hotly. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."  
  
_

_"Oh, Conan-kun!" She swept the boy up in an awkward hug. "That's so sweet of you. I'm sorry I got all upset...Sonoko and I argued again."  
  
_

_"That's okay. I hope you make up."  
  
_

_Ran sighed wistfully. "She just wants me to...move on. But I can't." She hugged Conan tightly against her. "I shouldn't be saying all this stuff to you! Anyway, what say we go fix up the house? With Dad in charge, it's sure to be a wreck by now."   
  
_

_She laughed lightly, a gentle sound, but Conan could hear faint bitterness and pain in her voice. "It's nothing."  
  
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Conan kicked a rock with the toe of his sneaker, watching it skitter into a puddle and disappear. _Move on_. It couldn't be over _him_, could it? His gut instinct thought it was. After all, Sonoko and Ran always fought over guys, especially over Shinichi. Sonoko thought that Ran should just get over the missing detective and find a more available boyfriend. Ran...well, Conan hoped that Ran still thought differently.  
  


"Conan-kun!"   
  


Conan turned and saw Ran walking towards him, holding an umbrella. "Konnichiwa, Ran-neesan."  
  


The teenager stopped and grinned at Conan. "You shouldn't be out in this rain, you'll catch cold."  
  


"I had some stuff to do." Conan shrugged. "How is your birthday going?"  
  


"Great!" Ran looked slightly enthused for the first time in weeks. "Sonoko and I made up, and some of the guys from school gave me little presents. Though," her smile turned wistful, "I hoped Shinichi would visit today. He hasn't been to school in a long time...and we haven't seen each other in a long time, so maybe he forgot what today was. But overall, it's been a great day."  
  


Conan smiled widely, opening his schoolbag. "I got you something too. It's not much," he removed a small package from the bag and placed it in her arms, "but it's nice. I hope you like it." A bit of a blush crept onto the small boy's cheeks.  
  


Ran smiled. "Oh, Conan-kun! You didn't have to get me anything, you knew that!" Unwrapped, the bundle contained a framed photo of himself and Ran. Ran knelt down and enfolded Conan in a hug, ignoring his soaked clothing. "It's beautiful. Thank you."  
  


"You're welcome." Conan took Ran's outstreched hand and let her lead him down the street, the umbrella sending rivulets of rainwater cascading around them like a curtain.   
  


_Anything for you_.  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  


Conan hovered over the stove, perched on a wooden stool. A pot of soba noodles simmered on the burner as he set the timer and stirred it once before hopping down and slipping out to the hallway. When he was assured that the house was quiet, he opened the door to the apartment and set a small box on the floor outside. Ringing the bell, he quietly shut the door and ran back to the stove. "Ran-neesan! Door!"  
  


Ran, who had been relaxing in her room since Conan had offered to cook dinner, appeared almost immediately. "Who is it?"  
  


Conan pointed wordlessly at the pot on the stove, stirring with his left hand for emphasis. "Can you get it? It just rang."  
  


Ran rushed to the door and threw it open. "There's no one here." She sounded disappointed, poking her head out into the hall.  
  


"Were you expecting someone?" Conan asked bluntly.  
  


"No, but I'd hoped--wait, what's this?" She knelt and picked up something from the ground.  
  


Conan pretended to looked extremely interested, but didn't leave his position at the stove. "What's what?"  
  


Ran held a small box in her left hand and an envelope in her right. "It's a gift." She opened the box first, revealing a tiny heart pendant on a gold chain. She held it up to the light, watching it sparkle. "Oh...this is beautiful..."  
  


Turning off the burner, Conan ran over to the teen. "A necklace. Want me to help you put it on? Who's it from?"  
  


Ran handed Conan the delicate chain, and knelt so he could reach her neck. "I'll open the card."  
  


Conan noted her fingers shaking as she opened the envelope and stood, the gold heart glittering against her pale skin. Tears appeared in her blue eyes as she read the words, spilling down her cheeks. She touched the pendant around her neck. "Shinichi. He didn't forget."  
  


She clasped the folded card to her chest and ran to her room in tears.  
  


"Ran..." Conan smiled and turned back to the stove. He didn't need to read the card to know what it said.  
  


_Ran,  
  
_

I'll come back to you someday.  
  


_~Shinichi_  
  


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Shi-chan: Comments? Questions? Review please!


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